By Mayor Tom Mrakas

After months of hard work by Staff and Council, the final 2019 Budget was approved at the March 26th Council meeting.

I am proud that Staff and Council were able to work collaboratively to produce a budget that maintains the excellent level of service that our residents expect while at the same time remaining fiscally responsible.

Aurora Council has continually looked for ways to become more efficient and modernize service delivery. And the 2019 budget is a great example of how Council has begun to re-evaluate how tax dollars are spent so as to better ensure every dollar that is spent has value. Great news for Aurora!

And speaking of great news, I was also pleasantly surprised to receive a letter from the Minister informing me that the Province will be providing a one-time payment to the Town of $210,443 in the current fiscal year to support small and rural municipalities' efforts to become more efficient and reduce expenditure growth.

Since coming into office just a few months ago, this Council has hit the ground running.

We've moved important initiatives forward and have made great strides in moving Aurora towards a future of positive change!

I am looking forward to working with my colleagues at the Finance Advisory Committee as we continue to look at ways in which we can provide the services that our residents need at the best possible price!

Town staff have produced a very helpful infographic (available at: http://www.mrakas.ca/council-update-march-26-2019/) that provides a full explanation of where your tax dollars go.

That's all for this week.

As always, if you would like to get into contact with me please feel free to contact me anytime by phone 905-727-3123 ext. 4746 or by email tmrakas@aurora.ca and if you would like to sign up for more newsletters and council updates then please visit Mrakas.ca/contact to join the growing list of Aurorans that are staying informed. #GettingThingsDone.